News & Events

We wrapped up the year with great end-of-year celebrations and even better memories. Thank you to our wonderful team and collaborators for a fantastic year! We look forward to seeing everyone again next year — Happy New Year from the SHOC Research Group!

We’re thrilled to announce that three members of the SHOC research group have secured funding in this year’s FWO/Research Foundation–Flanders project competition.

Lieke studied Archaeological Science at Leiden University (Netherlands), with a specialisation in osteoarchaeology and isotope analysis of human remains. For her MSc thesis, she investigated diet at the late to post-Medieval village of Koudekerke in Zeeland (NL) through stable isotope analysis.

Consent: A history of coercion and free will and everything in between 'No means no', we say. But does yes always mean yes? Consent seems obvious, but remains a difficult concept to grasp.

Since November, SHOC researcher William Torbeyns has been in Bologna for a three-month international research stay.

Postdoctoral Researcher on the Social History of Capitalism (12th-20th centuries) Category:  Academic Staff & Researchers    1 - Working at the VUB For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, a...

Introducing Leonie: Uncovering Resistance to Women in Belgian Politics We’re excited to welcome Leonie as she begins her PhD journey exploring the opposition faced by female politicians in twentieth-century Belgium.

In her latest article for Diplomatica , SHOC member Imma Petito (joint PhD VUB-Università di Salerno) uncovers the dynamic strategies behind Anglo-Neapolitan diplomacy in the late Middle Ages.

On Tuesday 21 October, Vicky Vanruysseveldt successfully defended her PhD, On the Road with Entertainment, under the supervision of SHOC member Anne Winter. Her research sheds light on the income strategies and mobility of itinerant entertainers in Brabant between 1750 and 1914.

In a new article in Dutch titled ‘Bomen en palen aan de kust van vroegmodern Amsterdam.

Last Monday, our research group kicked off the week with an exhilarating team-building adventure! Right after work, we headed to Space Laser Games in Etterbeek for an intense round of laser tag.

Afgelopen maandag namen verschillende leden van de SHOC-onderzoeksgroep deel aan de diploma-uitreiking van de VUB op de iconische Grote Markt in Brussel.

Building on the success of the Make-Up of the City project , SHOC members Bart Lambert, Patxi Perez Ramallo and Charlotte Van Riet, alongside colleagues from other VUB research groups, now launch the next phase in their interdisciplinary exploration of Flanders’ medieval urban past, Make-Up of the...

On 4 October, 41 palaeographers from Flanders and the Netherlands gathered in St-Truiden for the finals of the Wat Staat Daer? Palaeography Contest. After a tough online preselection, the finalists faced the challenge of transcribing three texts from the 14th, 16th and 17th centuries.

SHOC did very well in this year’s FWO PhD funding competition ! Congratulations to Brent Huygh and William Torbeyns, who both secured funding for their doctoral research.

Lukas (b. 2000) studied History at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2022–2025) and Art History at Ghent University (2018–2022). His research centers on the colonial history of Central Africa.

VACANCY for a doctoral researcher at the VUB (Social History of Capitalism research group) and Ghent University (History Department) in the FWO project “Blaming and Shaming by Ordinary Villagers: Rural Perspectives on Social Control in Flanders, c. 1400–1600”.

On Monday, 22 September, our colleague Jurriaan Wink successfully defended his PhD in Amsterdam.

Nel de Mûelenaere is Associate Professor of Contemporary History, holder of the chair Traces of Resistance , and head of the VUB history program. Her research focuses on the lived experience of the two World Wars in Belgium.

We’re pleased to announce that, starting in September 2025, Axel Van der Maelen will be joining SHOC as a TvO student.